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Reports and Publications

Without a Trace? Advances in Detecting Trace Evidence

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Currently, law enforcement has no accurate way to match the glass shards or coated hair to known samples, and locating tiny particles of explosive material or body fluids might be difficult or impossible. But all that’s about to change, as new and improved techniques for detecting and distinguishing trace evidence—minute quantities of materials such as …

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OSAC Registry Approved Standards

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The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Evidence (OSAC) develops documentary standards for forensics through a standards developing organization or other consensus-based process that allows for participation and comment from relevant stakeholders. Standards under consideration as well as approved standards are available in the OSAC Registry. Standards are being developed for each forensic discipline.

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AAFS Standards Board Documents

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The American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board develops documentary standards for forensics through a consensus process, involving participation by all directly and materially affected persons. The standards that have been published are available on the ASB website. Standards are being developed for each forensic discipline.

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State of Michigan Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Department of Health and Human Services: Forensic Interviewing Protocol

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State of Michigan Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect and DHHS (2015). Forensic Interviewing Protocol (4th ed.) 

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Structured forensic interview protocols improve the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children: A review of research using the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol

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Lamb, M., Orbach, Y., Hershkowitz , Esplin,P ., Horowitz, I. (2007 ). A structured interview protocol improves the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children: A review of research using the NICHD investigative interview protocol. Child Abuse and Neglect. 31, 1201 1231.

Structured forensic interview protocols improve the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children: A review of research using the NICHD Investigative Interview ProtocolRead More

American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) Practice Guidelines: Forensic Interviewing in Cases of Suspected Child Abuse

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American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. (2012). Practice guidelines: Forensic interviewing in cases of suspected child abuse. APSAC.

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Approved ULTR for the Forensic Firearms/Toolmarks Discipline – Pattern Match​

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Effective Aug. 15, 2020 In the firearm/toolmark pattern match Uniform Language for Testimony and Reports (ULTR), the new guidance for Department of Justice firearm examiners includes: [A]n examiner shall not: assert that a ‘source identification’ or a ‘source exclusion’ conclusion is based on the ‘uniqueness’ of an item of evidence. use the terms ‘individualize’ or …

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Approved ULTR for the Forensic Latent Print Discipline

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Effective Aug. 15, 2020 In the fingerprint Uniform Language for Testimony and Reports (ULTR), the new guidance for Department of Justice fingerprint examiners includes: [A]n examiner shall not: assert that a ‘source identification’ or a ‘source exclusion’ conclusion is based on the ‘uniqueness’ of an item of evidence. use the terms ‘individualize’ or ‘individualization’ when …

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Childrens Allegations of Sexual Abuse in Criminal Trials: Assessing Defense Attacks on Credibility and Identifying Effective Prosecution Methods

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Date: February 2020 Author: Stacia N. Stolzenberg Annotation: This study examined how attorneys establish and attack children’s credibility in cases that involve alleged child sexual abuse (CSA), and assessed how attorneys phrased questions for such children, how children responded, and whether questioning practices were sensitive to the developmental level of the child.

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NIJ Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures Manual

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The National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence published a Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures Manual to be used as a guide for law enforcement agencies in developing manuals of their own. The manual contains procedures for handling and retaining digital evidence, information about what should be documented in lab reports, and …

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Preparing Testimony about Cellebrite UFED in a Daubert or Frye Hearing

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This manual is designed to help attorneys prepare themselves and their witnesses for Daubert or related challenges to the admissibility of Cellebrite UFED-extracted mobile device evidence. It contains sample voir dire questions.

Preparing Testimony about Cellebrite UFED in a Daubert or Frye HearingRead More